Vera Zvonareva may show her class against Kiki Bertens

Taiwan Open
BT Sport 2, from 4am Tuesday
St Petersburg Trophy
BT Sport 1, from 10am Tuesday

Kiki Bertens played pretty well on the hard courts down under, but the Dutchwoman still looks a player to take on away from her beloved clay and Vera Zvonareva could make life uncomfortable for her in the St Petersburg Trophy.

Zvonareva returned to tennis towards the end of last season and while rustiness and a lack of peak fitness may have prevented her from collecting important titles, she performed pretty encouragingly.

The Russian, who was ranked number two in the world in 2010, is a high-class operator at her best and considering she is meeting Bertens in an indoor arena in her homeland, it could pay to support the outsider.

Zvonareva may be generous odds to post an upset win, but a safer play could be to back her to win at least a set at a shade of odds-against.

In Taipei, fifth seed Yulia Putintseva is in pole position to reach the semi-finals after second seed Shuai Zhang lost 6-2 6-4 to Kateryna Kozlova.

Recommendation
V Zvonareva to win at least a set
1pt 21-20 Hills

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